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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—A Full-Grown Grizzly:
After a group of Socs jumps Ponyboy at the start of the novel, Darry is beside himself with anger. Unlike Ponyboy, Sodapop is not afraid to tease Darry in this moment, something that Ponyboy explains with a hyperbole:
Darry stared at him for a second, then cracked a grin. Sodapop isn’t afraid of him like everyone else and enjoys teasing him. I’d just as soon tease a full-grown grizzly; but for some reason, Darry seems to like being teased by Soda.
Ponyboy's claim that he would "just as soon tease a full-grown grizzly" as tease Darry is a hyperbole. There is absolutely no way that Ponyboy would ever badger a fearsome animal, but he exaggerates to demonstrate his point. The hyperbole illustrates how serious and strict Darry is with Ponyboy as a father figure. This device also highlights how Darry and Ponyboy do not get along for the majority of the novel. For example, Darry yells at Ponyboy for something as trivial as staying out all night with Johnny. When Ponyboy runs out in anger, he unintentionally gives the Socs the opportunity to jump him and Johnny.
There are two conflicts between Darry and Ponyboy in the novel. First, their relationship as brothers clashes with the now paternal role that Darry must take on following their parents’ deaths. Secondly, Ponyboy struggles to understand Darry's well-intentioned sacrifices and severity as a guardian. The novel's conclusion seeks to resolve these issues between the two brothers, with Sodapop as a mediator.
Related Themes:
Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Hundred of Boys:
After Ponyboy finds Johnny's letter hidden in his copy of Gone with the Wind, Ponyboy wants to challenge the plight of the greasers. With a hyperbole, Ponyboy articulates his desire to help other boys like him find beauty in the world and brighter days in their future:
Suddenly it wasn’t only a personal thing to me. I could picture hundreds and hundreds of boys living on the wrong sides of cities, boys with black eyes who jumped at their own shadows. Hundreds of boys who maybe watched sunsets and looked at stars and ached for something better. I could see boys going down under street lights because they were mean and tough and hated the world, and it was too late to tell them that there was still good in it, and they wouldn’t believe you if you did.
In this moment of revelation, Ponyboy’s own problems suddenly seem bigger than him, so much so that he hyperbolizes in his mind. He pictures “hundreds and hundreds of boys” going through the same social divides and violence as the Socs and greasers. These hundreds of boys are experiencing the same pain as Ponyboy and are constantly wishing for “something better.”
Yet, Ponyboy’s hyperbole offers a grain of truth and reality. His revelation suggests that maybe there are actually hundreds of boys “living on the wrong sides of cities.” This hyperbole brings to the surface not only the gravity of Ponyboy’s situation but also the importance of changing it on a broader level—that is, in a way that will have a meaningful impact not just on him but on others, too.
Related Themes:
